Today marks the 75th Anniversary of VE Day

On the 8th May 1945, thousands of Britons celebrated the momentous day that marked the announcement of peace after six, long years of the Second World War across Europe. It was a time of great austerity, devastation, huge loss of life, and sacrifice. Naturally, when Victory in Europe was announced, it was a time of great, spontaneous celebrations across the country. Every year since, we have marked the huge sacrifices and contributions to the war effort, made by thousands of Britons.

75 years later, while we cannot celebrate with the planned street parties we had hoped for, it is still a time for gratitude and thanks for the whole country.

It is perhaps apt that in these unprecedented times of COVID- 19, we are in a position to thank and celebrate the thousands of the country's key workers, from NHS staff to many other vital services that are doing a tremendous job at keeping Britain running during this pandemic.

To commemorate VE Day, we have listed some ideas to help you celebrate the anniversary with your children at home:

• You can create your own bunting. The BBC have created a great tutorial called Great British Bunting here.
• Why not create your own VE Day quiz after watching BBC's short video about VE Day explaining the events that led to the end of the World War.
• Enjoy the spring sunshine and have a picnic in the garden if you have one, or just a carpet picnic.
• Bake ad decorate a themed cake or cupcakes.

The day will also be marked with a two minutes silence at 11am, while at 3pm there will be a 'raise a glass' moment to mark Winston Churchill's famous speech to the nation. 

Lastly, don't forget to watch the Queen's special broadcast at 9pm on BBC1.